If It Takes Us Miles
by Ellora-Carlyle
Summary: Her mother's stories were true, and she is determined to prove it. Having been sent to the Academy for "Thinking problems," Audrey must find a way to prove that a certain paradise exists, all while being pressured to conform to a non-Thinking society. Eventual OCxOC. Fem!Jojo.
1. Chapter 1

_"Momma?"_

_"Yes, dear?"_

_"Could you tell me another story?"_

_The woman peeked over her shoulder at the closed bedroom door before returning her eyes to her daughter, "Which one would you like to hear?"_

_"The one about that special place you told me about."_

_A smile slowly grew on the mother's lips, "You mean Solla Sollew?" The little girl nodded excitedly before the woman began, "There's a faraway land so the stories all tell, somewhere beyond the horizon. If we can find it, then all will be well. Troubles there are few..."_

* * *

"Miss Korbich?" Audrey's head shot up, awaking from the dream-like memory. "We've arrived."

Audrey remained silent in the passenger seat of the car as the vehicle pulled up to her new dwelling (She refused to call it "home."). The convertible had parked in front of a castle of gray bricks and barbed-wire. She had heard stories about this place and she never thought her father would be serious enough to send her here. General Schmitz was not easy on anyone, no matter the age, gender or physical skill.

And now here she was, at fifteen-years-old, sent to a rumored living Hell for not being the ideal daughter her father wanted.

She would give anything for the chance to slap him in the face.

Audrey stepped out of the car and stared up at the building that seemed to almost skyrocket to the clouds. If her mother was there, she would've joked about the "beasties" that might be locked away inside.

Then again, if her mother was there, Audrey probably wouldn't be at the Military Academy in the first place.

"Get moving, Korbich!" A harsh shove in her back forced her to start walking towards the dark fortress. Once inside, the doors quickly slammed shut behind her. No turning back from here.

She barely paid attention to the formalities the General attempted to give her. She was too distracted by her own efforts not to cry. Crying would show weakness. She would not show this man any weakness.

She didn't like Schmitz, but she didn't blame him for them having to deal with one another. She had her father to thank for that. Still, that didn't exactly mean she had to enjoy the General's presence.

"Stand up straight, Private!" She obeyed, meeting eyes with the window behind him and trying to avoid looking at him in the eye. "Now you know why you're here, right?"

"I'm assuming that you'll tell me anyway," Audrey replied, her voice as dry and sour as she could manage.

The General gave her an angered look, his voice sounding like the growl of some mythical beast, "You are to address me as 'sir' and answer with a 'yes' or 'no', understand?"

She forced it out of her mouth, "Yes, sir."

"Now do you know why you are here?"

"No, sir." _But you'd still probably tell me anyway_, Audrey thought.

"You're here because of your Thinking. Thinking, as you may or may not know, is dangerous to our society and as General, it is up to me to extinguish the problem before it creates an even bigger problem. You've already caused possible monetary damage to private property with yours, and it's shocking that a girl your age has possessed this..." He struggled to find the proper word, "..._disease_ for so long. So your father had no choice but to bring you to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes." She purposely didn't add a "sir," the mentioning of her father made it difficult to contain all of her frustration.

The General bent down to meet eyes with her and she bravely looked at them back, "Be aware, Private, that just because you're a Chairman's kid does not mean things are gonna be any different for you. You'll receive the same treatment as all of the other privates here, no questions asked. Understand?"

"Yes, _sir_," Audrey spat out.

"Good." The General turned her back to her, walking towards the hallway ahead. "Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the bunkroom. Your fellow privates will be joining you later today. This will be your one and only day off from training unless you're deemed fit to deserve it."

"Understood, sir." He stopped to give her a dark look for saying anything but "yes" before resuming his walk once more. Audrey stared at the floor as she followed, the echo of the General's well-polished shoes and the building's poor air-ventilation filling her ears.

When they arrived, the General opened the door for her, the rusty metal screeching loudly from lack of proper care. Bunk beds were lined up side-by-side in rows, reaching all the way to the end of the room. Sloppily-made bedding indicated which beds were already taken by the current residents. There were few left available except for a few at the back of the bunkroom. She felt something forced into her hands and saw that the General had given her all the basic essentials for getting by in this place, including a uniform and a set of plain gray pajamas.

"Pick whichever available bunk you'd like, but don't get too comfy," Schmitz said, "You won't be spending much time in here." He pointed at a door a few rooms over, "Showers and toilets are in there, lights out at ten." He began walking away, not even meeting eyes with the small brunette, "Get some sleep while you can, Private. You're gonna need it."

Audrey didn't even bother to look at him. She just stood there as the footsteps faded away. After having a moment to take in everything, she picked a bunk in the farthest corner of the room and sat down with a "plop."

And the tears quietly came.

* * *

_When she was sure that her child was asleep, the mother got up and opened the bedroom door._

_She smiled back at her child, "Goodnight, sweetie." The woman stepped out and carefully shut the door behind her. When she turned towards the hallway, a shock went down her spine._

_"Honey," her husband began. "We need to have a talk."_


	2. Chapter 2

_"You have to stop telling her these outlandish tales, Laura!" A single lamp was lit in the living room and the man who had spoke was continuously pacing back-and-forth on the carpet. His wife stood beside the coffee table, her hands clenched into fists so strongly that one would wonder if her nails had pricked her skin and released blood._

_"There's no harm in telling her about them, Robert! She's a child! Let her enjoy being a child!"_

_"Children have to grow up sooner or later! She's too old to be hearing such things!"_

_"She's nine!"_

_The man turned towards her, "Exactly! And soon she'll start sharing them with her friends and you know what will happen, Laura? She'll be outcasted! I will not let my child suffer over some fantasy that doesn't exist!"_

* * *

It was just after nightfall when the other Cadets marched in. She hadn't moved from the bed and her sullen expression hadn't changed, but her tears had long since dried away.

Behind her, she could hear a few groans and the shuffling of feet.

"Looks like we've got a newbie." Audrey turned and met eyes with one of the boys. He was tall with a dark buzz cut and had this look in his eye that made her suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable. He could've been about a year older than her. "So... what're you in for?"

"Leave her alone, Ross!" Audrey saw a girl on the bunk beside her give him a glare with her small eyes as she added pins to her black-haired bun.

Ross spoke over his shoulder, "It's not like it matters. We're all here for the same reason!"

"I said, leave her alone," the girl spoke firmly.

Ross, however, didn't listen and walked closer to Audrey to the point where they were almost inches away from touching noses. She tried her best to maintain a straight face, although she could tell she was failing.

The boy chuckled under his breath, "A Chairman's kid, right?" She didn't reply. "You won't last a day."

"That's enough, Private." The boy scrambled to his feet as another stood right behind him. Like the girl, he also had black hair, which looked a bit messy and unkept along with a slight bit of scruff on his chin and above his lips. He had to have been older than everyone else in that room. If wasn't, he at least appeared that way. And judging by the badge on his jacket that the other cadets didn't have, he was also of a higher rank.

"Why must you always give newbies the warm welcome?" Ross asked sourly.

"'Cuz some of us didn't receive one when we first got here. Right, Private?" Ross merely furrowed his brows and stormed off. The other boy turned his attention to Audrey. "Let me know if he gives you any trouble, alright? That guy's been an ass since he got here." She nodded as the boy walked over to his bunk, which happened to be diagonal from her own.

The girl walked over to her, "Don't let Ross getcha down. He can be a real jerk, but he feels just as miserable as the rest of us."

"I can only imagine," Audrey replied.

The girl offered her hand, "The name's Pamelyn Flit. Don't bother memorizing the first name, everyone goes by the last around here. So just call me Flit."

"I'm Audrey Korbich," she replied, shaking Flit's hand.

"Korbich, huh? Isn't your Dad on the Whoville Council?"

"Don't remind me," the brunette snapped. Flit looked at her, wide-eyed, before she continued, "Sorry. He's-."

"-The reason you're here?"

"Yeah."

"I don't blame you. My uncle sent me here after my parents died in a car crash." Flit put her arms behind her head and let her back drop onto Audrey's bed. "I never liked him anyway."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since I was eleven." She chuckled under her breath, "Four years being in this dump and not much has changed. It's always the same. Schmitz wakes us up at the crack of dawn, drills us until we're exhausted, we eat, we drill again, eat, drill again, blah-blah-blah, you get the idea. The only real difference is the people who come in."

"Does anyone ever leave?"

"Only if they 'prove they have been purged of the Thinking disease'," Flit said, adding air quotations.

"So everyone is here because they're Thinkers?"

"Well... that's debatable. Ross could've easily been dropped here for other reasons."

Audrey lowered her voice a bit as she glanced over at the high-ranked boy, who appeared to be playing around with what looked like a pocket knife, "What about him?"

"Mercer? Wouldn't be able to tell ya. He had to have been here longer than any of us. No one gets the title of Master Sergeant in this place in a matter of a few years."

"He's not a Cadet?"

"Well..." Flit tried to explain. "Yes and no. He got his new rank about two years ago, but apparently he refused to change bunks. He is one of Schmitz's favorites so it doesn't surprise me that he agreed."

A loud bell rang in their ears as some of the Cadets began filing out of the bunkroom along with the Sergeant, who shoved the knife in his pocket before walking out the door.

"C'mon," Flit said, standing up. "The raw liver may be a bit unsettling, but you grow used to it after a few sittings." Audrey let Flit go ahead of her as she slowly followed, her mind unable to erase the lack of life in both Ross's and Flit's eyes.

* * *

_"Maybe some of them do exist. If you just let me-."_

_"No! I'm not letting you leave our child behind to go off on some trip to who-knows-where! Children need their mothers, Laura! When the hell are you gonna **grow up**?!"_

Thump!_ The couple turned and froze as a bit of brown hair whisked around a corner and a drumming sound came from the stairs._

_The wife turned to her husband with glistening eyes, "I wish you had never taken that job at the city council." She walked out of the room as her husband sat down on the couch with a pained sigh._

_"Neither did I, Laura. Neither did I."_


	3. Chapter 3

_Eleven-year-old Audrey shuffled in her seat as the Whoville Council drowned on about boring, complex issues that a child could never understand. With no babysitter available to watch her, she was once again forced to come to one of her father's weekly meetings._

_"This is important stuff, Audrey," he had told her. "So pay close attention. You might even join them one day."_

_She fidgeted with the hem of her rose pink dress before her mind began to wander, attempting to save itself from absolute boredom. This wasn't a boring meeting in a boring room at a plain wood table._

_It was a tea party. The table trimmed with layers of lace and the walls covered in polka dots. Cakes piled high in front of her, along with a steaming cup of tea. The teacups were pastel, rainbow colors, vibrant in comparison to the once gray room. In the center of the table, a gigantic bouquet of flowers, ones that appeared almost as beautiful as the Truffula trees her mother once told her about._

_Instead of boring old men, her table-companions were lively, stuffed animals. There was a lion on her left, a turtle on her right and a zebra at the head of the table. She smiled at her new company._

_"Would you like a razzleberry scone, Miss Audrey?" A penguin asked, carrying a platter of goodies before her._

_She carefully took one off the tray, "Thank you." She swallowed it down as the flavors blossomed in her mouth. It was as if someone had combined strawberries, raspberries and cherries and made this delicious treat. She was about to dig into the lemon-berry pies when a voice broke her from her dreamscape._

_"Miss Korbich!" The tea party had faded away as fast as she had imagined it. Before her now stood several old men, a few of their faces red with anger._

_The eldest one, who sat at the head of the table, adjusted his glasses, "Mr. Korbich, perhaps it might be best if you and your child go home for the day. And please do something about her **Thinking**." He spat out the word like it was a rancid taste in his mouth. "You know how we feel about that kind of behavior."_

* * *

Audrey had no idea what time it was when she woke up the next morning. The lining of sunlight on the horizon outside a window made it clear that it had to have been just before dawn.

Of course, that's hard to pay attention to when a loud whistle is piercing your eardrums.

"Unit 77, line up!" She kicked the sheets off of herself as she stumbled into line with the other Cadets….who were already dressed.

"Wait, wha-?"

"Where's your uniform, Korbich?!" She realized that in the time that she had taken to line up and realize that she was the only person in her pajamas, Schmitz had stormed towards her and was now towering over her. His voice was both terrifying and surprisingly eloquent to the point where Audrey briefly wondered if he had ever been a politician. "No soldier goes into the battlefield unprepared! Get dressed and meet me outside, on the double!"

"Yes, sir," she replied as Schmitz ordered the rest of the Cadets to march out. She caught Flit giving her a sad look before she was out of sight. Sighing, the brunette stumbled to put on her basic uniform: a navy blue t-shirt and black pants held up by a pair of suspenders.

Tying the last knot on her combat boots, she bolted out the door and followed Schmitz's booming voice outside, where she found the Cadets lined up and at attention.

"About time to grace us with your presence, Korbich!" Audrey didn't bother to look over at him. Her focus was on the seemingly infinite desert before her. She knew that the Academy was far from domestic living, but not as bad as this. If she and her new comrades were going to die out here, it was unlikely if anyone would locate their remains. She could only imagine what it would be like for someone to find a skeleton years from now and be fooled into thinking that it belonged to some prehistoric being from centuries ago.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, PRIVATE?!" She jumped, realizing that Schmitz was in front of her once more, fuming.

She looked down at her boots, "No, sir. I was distracted, sir."

"You were Thinking again, weren't you?" She didn't respond. She expected him to chew her out, but the change in his tone said otherwise, although it still shook her up. "I suggest you start paying attention, Korbich. You could learn something." He turned towards the other Cadets, "You will start this morning with a five-mile run. Get it done in under forty minutes, and maybe I'll give you your breakfast early today.

Audrey didn't even want to think about breakfast if it was anything close to dinner. Flit was right. The raw liver was absolutely disgusting. She could still taste it briefly in the back of her throat and nearly gagged in disgust out loud. No words known in the English language could define how nauseating raw liver was.

Maybe Schmitz will be generous enough to give us oatmeal for breakfast, Audrey thought. At least that would be one meal she would be able to hold down without feeling ill.

"Korbich!"

"Yes, sir."

"Since you like having so much attention on you, here's your chance to show off. When I say go, you, and you alone, shall start the run. The rest of you will follow when I say go again." She prepped herself for the run and waited for Schmitz's impending demand.

Audrey heard a shuffling of feet, and a few low chuckles. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Ross had a cocky smile on his face. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. These people were so full of it. They were all stuck here for the same reason. They weren't truly there to be in the military and yet some of them acted like that was exactly the reason they came. It didn't make sense.

"Ready….GO!"

She began, putting all of her strength into her run. She heard a few distant giggles, but soon enough, the other Cadets were out of sight.

Finally, she thought to herself. She tried to organize her thoughts as she ran further into the desert. They were all Thinkers at one point and for some reason or other that was a bad thing. She knew the Whoville Council didn't approve of such behavior. After all, they were the ones who started the whole "Thinking disease" propaganda in the first place. Her father amongst them.

"Thinking is an endangerment to our society," she remembered hearing at one of her father's council meetings. "We must do everything that we can to protect our children from it before it is too late."

What was there to be protected from? She had yet to see anything bad come from Thinking. Why did it suddenly matter?

After what felt like an extensive amount of time, Audrey's mind then began to realize something: how long had she been out here? How long would it be before Schmitz would let the others go? Maybe it was all a first-timer prank?

Then, a faint rumble interrupted her train of thought…. And was growing louder with each second.

She dropped to the ground and covered her head, her heart crawling up to her throat as the rest of the Cadets zoomed by her like a raging stampede. The dust entered into her lungs causing her to cough violently into her arms. She heard a pair of footsteps stop in front of her, sounding as if someone had turned around to maybe retrieve her.

Lifting her head, her eyes were blinded by sun, even though someone was partly blocking it from view.

"Try to keep up." Audrey watched Mercer run ahead as she tried to get herself back onto her feet. The boy was already significantly smaller in the distance, with the others close by and gathered around him. She let out an exasperated sigh and attempted to follow.

* * *

_The door slammed behind the father and daughter as they arrived back home. The father loosened his tie, trying to regain some sanity._

_He eyed his child, his mind racing, "I'm very disappointed in you, Audrey."_

_She felt her eyes watering up, but held it back. She knew how her father had felt about tears._

_"We've talked about this," he continued, turning away from her. "You need to get a grip on this…**Thinking**."_

_"But Mom said-."_

_"**Mom's not here anymore**!" He snapped, scaring the child out of her wits. She said nothing. The child dropped her head and quietly walked into her room. She waited until she had shut the bedroom door behind her before she let the tears emerge freely._

_"She's out there..." She said to no one in particular. "I know it... I'll find her!" She was so consumed by her own frustrations that she didn't notice a figure zoom past her window, vanishing in the blink of an eye._

_Meanwhile, in the living room, Robert could feel the weight of a thousand tons on his chest. He shouldn't have yelled at her, but what else could he do. He collapsed into a chair._

_"Oh, Laura," he mumbled. "Why did you have to leave us?"_


	4. Chapter 4

_"Now who knows how the Butter Battle began?" Mrs. Mackle-Who asked her class. She eyed a young girl, who was staring out the window. "Maybe you could tell us, Audrey?"_

_The girl flinched in her seat, "Um…." She tried digging through her memory. She had only heard of the event in whispers amongst the adults, but she didn't really know anything specific. "Uh… I-."_

_A blonde's hand shot up next to her, "It started with the construction of the Bubburland Wall!"_

_"Thank you, Isabelle." Audrey smiled at her best friend, who wink at her as the teacher turned away. Izzy, as she had called her, always had her back. "The construction of the Bubberland Wall began the war between the Yooks, the Butter Side-Uppers, and the Zooks, the Butter Side-Downers."_

_"I think the Yooks were better," a blonde boy in the back commented with a raised hand._

_"Yeah!" Another exclaimed. "Who eats their bread butter side down anyway?" Audrey noticed Izzy giving them dark looks, but didn't think anything of it._

_The boys leapt onto their desks, "Long live the Upper Crust!" The children cheered as Audrey and Izzy sat awkwardly in silence. Mrs. Mackle-Who couldn't help but be appalled at the rest of the classes' behavior, especially with their use of the well-known moniker given to the Yooks._

_The blonde boy noticed Izzy's look of disgust, "What side are **you** on?"_

_The teacher gasped, "Alexander-!"_

_"It's okay, Mrs. Mackle-Who," Izzy replied. She got up from her desk and grabbed her lunch bag, staring at the boy in the eye. "Why does it matter? But if I must pick a side…." She pulled a slice of buttered bread from her lunch bag and took a large bite, an echo of gasps filling the room. "I prefer butter side-down." She raced out of the room, leaving the class to watch on in silence._

_"And you?" Audrey felt herself shaking as they met eyes._

_"I… Uh-." The school bell rang and before anyone could praise or scold her, she had already zipped out the door._

* * *

Only a week had passed them by and Audrey's mind and body were screaming for sleep. She masked this well, although time had proven that it didn't really matter. The other Cadets were too busy with whatever was handed to them by Schmitz while her mind continued to wander and get backlashed by the General.

Now she understood just how he "made a dent" in the minds of the Cadets.

They were worked until their muscles were sore from being sore and when they finally had a chance to sleep, their brains were too tired to dream. Audrey tried, but if she ever dreamed for even a second, she didn't remember them by morning.

She was poking at her oatmeal one day during breakfast when the phrase "hand-to-hand combat" entered the conversation.

Audrey's head shot up, the first bout of energy she had expressed in days, "Wait, what?"

"I said he's testing our combat skills today." Roger, a tall brown-haired boy, repeated.

"It's Schmitz's way of finding out who his strongest pupils are," Flit explained, noticing the confusion on Audrey's face. "He sometimes bases the rankings on the results. That's how Mercer got his rank. He's probably one of the best, if not _the_ best, out of all of us here."

"We'll see about that." Ross was behind them, chewing on a piece of toast, spread butter side up as always. "Mercer ain't such a tough guy."

"What? You're gonna fight him? Good luck making it out alive."

"I can take him."

"Whatever." Flit rolled her eyes, a smirk peeking out on her lips, and resumed chewing on her piece of toast.

Ross looked over at Audrey, his signature look of ignorance on his face, "Newbies never do well, but good luck to you anyway." If she had any sarcastic remark to give, she didn't have the energy to deliver one. She watched him walk away briefly before staring back down at her toast, her oatmeal now too cold to eat.

"Don't worry," Flit said. "You'll do fine." But Audrey wasn't too sure if she could believe her. She bit her lip in nervousness and her stomach sank as she dreaded the event to come.

When it did, they were brought outside to an area, blocked off from the rest of the desert, with brick walls. The ground was cement, coated in dust from the sandy floor beyond their barriers, the hot sun making heat burn into the soles of their boots.

She found her mind drifting away once more as Schmitz started talking about the upcoming Butter Battle and how they needed to defend themselves from their enemies, the Butter Side-Downers.

She remembered hearing stories about the first Butter Battle during her elementary school years. It hadn't happen here in Whoville before, no. It happened between two towns that resided thousands of miles away, years before Audrey was born, Yookshire and Zooksten. The Yooks and Zooks had never been friendly neighbors according to the history books. No one really knows what happened that day the Big-Boy Boomeroos were dropped. And frankly, no one wanted to find out.

Apparently there was another war before them now. No wonder Schmitz was so worked up half the time.

Audrey watched as Roger and another boy were brought up as the first two contenders. She could already imagine what would happen if she was called up. No matter who it was, she had no clue how to defend herself, so any chances of success were very slim. Even Flit, who was a few inches shorter than her, had a greater advantage, but at least there was a possibility of her going easy on Audrey. If she had the energy, she would Think of some way of success, to save herself from the inevitable.

"Korbich, you'll be fighting Ross." She inwardly groaned as her mind snapped back to reality. If it had to be anyone, it just had to be him.

"Fate must really have a bone to pick with me if he's making me fight him," she mumbled to Flit. Her comrade said nothing, only looking between the two of them as they stepped up to face one another.

"Aw, don't worry," Ross said, feigning sympathy, "I'll go easy on you."

It didn't take a genius to know that he was lying. She merely put her hands up into fists and made what many would call a rookie mistake.

She briefly closed her eyes.

Audrey had no idea what happened in the next five minutes. One moment, she was staring at Ross with her stomach in multitudes of knots. The next, her spine screamed out in pain and she was struggling to maintain her eyesight.

She heard mumblings all around her.

"Is she okay?"

"I knew she wouldn't last long."

"Why would Schmitz set her up like that?"

"Why _wouldn't_ Schmitz set her up like that?"

Audrey didn't respond. She just let herself rest on the ground, praying that the worst of it was over and that she could just fall into some deep slumber that she could never awake from. At least then she could possibly dream of a better place.

_Like Solla Sollew_, she thought.

Right as her eyes closed and she could feel herself drifting off into nothingness, a gruff voice and an even rougher hand forced her to get on her feet.

"I said stand up, Private!" Shuffling to keep her balance, she found herself meeting eyes with General Schmitz. "No soldier of mine rests on the job, Korbich! What am I training you for?"

Audrey spoke so flatly that she thought no one would hear her, "A stupid war that started over a stupid reason." An echo of gasps rippled amongst the Cadets and a shuffling of feet as others backed away in fear. Out of the corner of her eye, she could even see Ross backing away, but his expression read along the lines of "you're so dead."

A sound like the cracking of a whip reached her ears and her cheek throbbed as she met her glassy eyes with the General once more.

The General looked back with a blank expression but did not address her, "Moving on." He turned to the Cadets, "Mercer, take her place."

The girl sat against the brick wall in exhaustion, trying to regain her bearings, but still able to watch the fights.

Flit carefully went over to her while Schmitz was distracted, "You okay?"

Her head was conducting a bass-booming concert in her head. Her arms and legs felt like they were melting into pasta noodles and her stomach was gurgling in disgust.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm fine." While it was clear that she was lying, they said nothing as they both watched Ross and Mercer begin their battle.

Looking at the two in comparison, Audrey could see why Ross would believe that he had the advantage. He was at least a head taller than Mercer, and had the better build in muscle. Any other person would assume Ross would undeniably be the winner.

That was until Mercer attacked.

He moved so quickly that before anyone knew it, Ross was on the floor.

Audrey cringed. She assumed based on his ranking that Mercer had to have been good. But she didn't expect anything like that.

A few cheered at Mercer's win while others stood silently, particularly Flit, who seemed saddened more than happy. Ross lifted his head and glared at Mercer.

"If looks could kill," Audrey mumbled. Flit looked over at her and shrugged. The two opponents were clearly exchanging words, but because of the commotion around them, the words remained unintelligible.

Soon enough, Schmitz was barking at all of them to head to the mess hall for lunch and the group disbanded. Audrey slowly got back onto her feet, clutching to the wall for balance.

"You alright?" She looked up to see Mercer staring at her.

"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Just a little shaken…. Good job out there." He turned and walked away, expressionless. "Um, a thank you would be nice."

"And I'm sure getting lost in your Thinks is nice too, but that's not going to help us get through this war now, is it?" Explicit statements ran through her mind in multiples while her breathing felt like it was changing into one of an angry bull. Mercer was just like Schmitz, trying to tell her that her Thoughts were worthless. No wonder the General saw him in such high regard.

"Being a pretentious ass won't get you far either." Audrey began walking away, suddenly pleased to notice some hurt behind his eyes.

_Good_, she thought, _now you know how I feel_.

"You get back here right now, Private!" Mercer screamed. "No one talks to their Commanding Officer like that!"

She turned around, "Just because you're several ranks above us doesn't mean you are any better than the rest of us! We're all here for the same reason! My Mom disappeared in the middle of an expedition years ago! Flit's parents died in a car crash! We all Thought to escape the hells we lived in! So what's your story, huh?!" The boy said nothing, his head angled at the ground. "Didn't **_think_ **you had one." With a huff, she stormed towards the mess hall, a twinge of guilt slowly forming in her stomach as a stunned Flit followed closely behind.

She didn't mean to do that.

It just…happened.

* * *

_She quietly shut the front door behind her as she entered her house. The rustling of newspaper from the living room indicated that her father was home. As quietly as she could, she tried running to her room._

_"Audrey?" She stopped, but said nothing. "Come here, please." She sulked down the stairs and entered the room where her father sat in another one of his expensive suits. "A call went out from your school today. I know what happened." Audrey stared at the floor, her heart sinking with shame and embarrassment. "I don't want you to associate with Isabelle anymore." Her stomach had plummeted and her eyes grew wide and dilated. "She's a bad influence on you and I only want what's best. Do I make myself clear?"_

_"Yes," she whimpered._

_"Good. You can go up to your room now." She spared no time. She dashed up the stairs and slammed the door behind her, her sobs muffled by her pillow. A life without Izzy? How would she be able to survive without her best friend?_

_She soon found her answer. Izzy was declared missing less than twenty-four hours later._


	5. Chapter 5

_A young Audrey's eyes wandered the room as she stared at the faces of strangers. Sad music rose to the rafters and echoed in her eardrums. She hated the music, wishing that maybe a festive jig could come from the strings of the moaning violin, but this time around, her Thinks were of little use._

_Dressed head-to-toe in black, she began twiddling her thumbs in impatience until the priest emerged from behind the walls and began addressing the crowd._

_"__We're gathered here today to honor the life of the lovely Laura Korbich."_

* * *

She was not surprised to be called into the General's office that evening.

"Don't sweat it," Flit replied. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with what happened today."

"You never know," Audrey replied. "Mercer seems like the type to not keep his mouth shut."

That was their last exchange before she left to see him after dinner. The murmur from the mess hall grew dimmer as she approached his office. She didn't even get a chance to knock on the door as someone began walking out, nearly running into her and knocking her over.

"Excuse me-," she began. But she soon wished she could swallow her words as she recognized who was in front of her. "Oh, it's you."

"Watch your tone, Private," Mercer said firmly.

"I will when you lose your big head, _Sergeant_." She walked passed him, nearly slamming into his shoulder. Audrey had no idea where the sudden courage came from, but for now she didn't care. It felt good to be able to summon up a comeback again.

"It's Master Sergeant."

"Whatever." She closed the door behind her, inhibiting him from giving a response. She turned to see Schmitz staring out the moonlit window, which was cut in multiple rectangular panels. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Have a seat, Korbich," the General replied, not even bothering to look back at her. Carefully, without taking her eyes off him, she sat down on the leather chair in front of his desk. Her gaze wandered around the office and she was suddenly reminded of her father's back in Town Hall. Audrey blinked rapidly as she pushed the memory away.

"To start off," he began, turning away from the window, "I need to say that I'm unimpressed with your work so far. You're behavior during today's testing was inexcusable. Not to mention I was shocked to find you couldn't handle the test after all the training you've been through." As far as Audrey was concerned, running laps and working herself to the bone wasn't really going to teach her anything except that sleep should be valued much higher than a person normally would.

"Still," the General turned around and began to walk towards her from behind his desk, "I realize that you may not quite understand the hard truth that we are at _war_." He stopped in front of the girl and his gaze staring into her own nearly shook her to the core. "Or am I _mistaken_?"

She swallowed, "No, sir. I am aware."

"Then maybe you should consider taking your position _more seriously_! This is a _war_ we're talking about Korbich! A war where you and your fellow cadets could _die_! Don't you understand that?! This lollygagging and…**_Thinking_**, will only get yourselves killed!" Audrey felt almost every major artery sink into her stomach and yet a part of her found this difficult to accept. Her colleagues were much more skilled than her. They had a longer time to train and probably had a better chance than her to survive a war. Still, the thought of seeing Flit or any of the others dead continued to give her a sinking feeling.

"Our enemies could come and find us any day now, at any time. And here you are, daydreaming on a daily basis! The battlefield is a fast place, Korbich! You have to pay attention to what's going on every step of the way! Otherwise, you or your fellow cadet might get a bullet in your brains.

"Then what will you be _Thinking_, huh?" He was now completely in her face to the point where she felt spit hitting her cheeks and his cigar-tainted breath. She didn't respond, but instead looked away, her mind racing. She didn't want to die. Not like that.

General Schmitz backed away and began to return to his desk, "Now, in order for you to start catching up to your fellow cadets, you will start training with Mercer immediately following dinner from now on. I want no excuses, understand?"

She had plenty to deliver, but instead she held her tongue, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now return to your bunk, soldier."

"Yes, sir." She quickly stood up and immediately ran to the door, only to hear the General's voice once more.

"Korbich." Audrey turned around only to meet eyes with the General's back. "I hope you take what I've told you seriously. I know what it's like to lose someone. And trust me, it's a feeling I want no child in Who to experience."

She swallowed, quietly slipping out the door and shutting the door behind her before letting a single tear slip down her cheek.

* * *

_"__Audrey?" The little girl lifted her head's gaze away from the floor and towards the voice. "It's time to go."_

_It was her recently hired nanny. Her black hair was slightly messy but pulled back into a bun. She always wore black-and-white, with a hint of red. And she was never without her signature red and white, striped hat._

_The tired child took her hand and began walking out of the church. Her father was outside, quietly speaking with some coworkers who had come to the ceremony. As they walked away, the two ladies approached._

_"__We're ready when you are, Mr. Korbich," the nanny said. Robert said nothing, only giving a mumbled grunt and motioned for them to follow him towards the car waiting for them nearby. The three entered the car and drove out into the horizon in silence._


	6. Chapter 6

_The door swung open with a slam, spooking the nanny out of train of thought while she was making her routine afternoon snack for Audrey. Muffled thumping reached her ears as she heard someone rush up the stairs. She didn't need to ask who had come in._

_The nanny quietly stepped away from her work and followed the noise up the stairs. When she opened the bedroom door, her heart sank a little when she saw her favorite girl crying into her pillow._

"_Oh, Audrey…." She ran over to her, soothingly rubbing her back. "What's wrong? Did something happen, sweetie?"_

_The little girl slowly sat up and the nanny gasped. Her right eye had developed a patch of purple and unless there was some airborne disease that had just arisen in Whoville that she didn't know of, the nanny knew exactly how she got it._

"_Who did this to you?"_

_Audrey sniffed, "Some kids at school…. I was telling them about Solla Sollew and they didn't believe me. They said I was being silly... that it doesn't exist…." The child began sobbing as she fell into her nanny's arms._

_The nanny held her closely as she spoke, attempting to soothe her, "Some people can be ignorant to what they don't understand. But don't worry, kid. One day, someday soon, they will understand."_

* * *

The following evening, Audrey trudged her way to the training room after dinner, internally wishing that something would happen to end her oncoming misery.

She didn't have to open the door to hear the fast-assorted sounds of fists hitting a punching bag. For maybe a second, her stomach lurched and she debated on whether she could just run back to Schmitz's office and convince him to make her clean bathrooms instead as a punishment. In the end however, she took a breath and pressed forward.

He didn't notice her at first. He seemed intensely focused on the punching bag and nothing else… That is until she came closer and nearly took a punch to the nose.

She was relieved to find that he had stopped a mere few inches from her face, quietly letting out all of the oxygen she had held in that moment.

"Hi there," she said, still in shock from the sudden reflex.

He straightened his posture and took a breath, "You're late."

She looked over at the clock, "It's only just after seven! Dinner ends at seven!"

He walked over to a nearby water bottle and quickly drank some of it down, "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late." He threw down the water bottle.

"Well I'm at least somewhat grateful that you didn't actually hit me in the nose," she snapped sarcastically. He turned towards her, ignoring her previous comment.

"Being on time shows discipline and respect. It means that you want to take this seriously."

"And you think I don't?"

"Judging by the amount of time that has passed from you being on time to you being late shows that either you believe that there is no real purpose in what I am going to teach you…." He scanned her up and down before smirking, "Or you're _scared_."

Something tugged at her gut, but she let out a hearty laugh in spite of it, "I'm not scared!"

"Oh, really?" He lifted his left hand and motioned towards her. "C'mere." She obeyed, following him to a more open space in the center of the training room. She recognized it as the area usually reserved for the Cadets to practice hand-to-hand combat. "Fight me."

"What?"

"You heard me." He stepped into a fighting stance.

"But you're the most experienced person here! There's no way I could do it!"

"Do it or I'll tell Schmitz that you'd prefer Ross teaching you instead."

Her eyebrows raised, "You're kidding?"

"Try me."

Audrey sighed and lifted up her hands to her face… and closed her eyes.

**WHAM!** She felt her body fall onto the floor and her already sore muscles screamed out once again.

_He hit me_, she thought. _That bastard just hit me_!

"First of all, never close your eyes in a fight. The moment you take eyes off of your opponent, you lose focus and they immediately have the upper hand." He offered his hand for her to stand up, but she scoffed and hopped back up on her own. He shrugged as if to say, "okay then," before continuing, "Secondly, never keep both hands to your face. Keep the hand farthest away from your opponent near your stomach."

"You still haven't explained how these prove that I'm scared," she said through clenched teeth, her eyes glistening.

He walked over to a corner and grabbed a thin, wooden club from one of the racks, "Closing your eyes shows disbelief and lack of focus, which is usually exemplified by fear." Suddenly, he whacked her in the stomach, causing her to bend over with a groan. "_That_ is why the other hand is near your stomach."

"What the _hell_ was that for?!"

"Demonstration. Be glad that I am at least merciful and know how to use my own strength. If I used full-force, you'd be rushed to the hospital right now. In a real battle, there is no mercy. So be _grateful_ that I'm going easy on you." Audrey could feel the anger and frustration bubbling inside her. _That_ was merciful? This _pain_ was merciful? She felt ready to throw up her dinner which was already doing a number on her stomach as it is. Why would he still be so cruel, especially to her?

Suddenly, something clicked in her mind and she growled at the Master Sergeant.

"I see why Schmitz picked you to be his head boy. You two are the same. Looking down on Thinkers just because they're not afraid to speak their minds." She expected him to hit her like Schmitz did the other day, but he only turned away to replace the club.

"If you really knew me and anyone else in this place, you'd realize just how alike we are." Audrey didn't reply. This was something to expect from the General's lackey, to try to relate to her when they really had nothing in common as far as she was concerned. What she wasn't prepared for was the following response, "But answer this question for me: are you afraid _now_?" Audrey silently shook her head. "You should be."

"Why? 'Cuz you'll report me and we'll have to spend even _more_ time together? Save me the torture."

He folded his arms, "You are very closed-minded for a Thinker." She clenched her hands and a smirk rose on his face. "Being angry won't get you anywhere."

"Can we just get this over with?" she snapped.

He nodded, "Alright. Lift up your hands. Let's begin."

* * *

_When Robert Korbich realized that no one was downstairs, he heard soft sobbing coming from Audrey's bedroom. He ran upstairs and paused to compose himself before opening the door._

_His daughter laid there crying on her bed, a shiner around her eye. The nanny was rubbing her back and quietly shushing her before meeting eyes with her boss. Audrey had not noticed that her father had come into the room and didn't even hear him leave a few seconds later. The nanny watched him exit with sad eyes as the father slowly walked into the bedroom he once shared with his wife and sat on the bed._

"_No more," he said to himself. "This can't go on."_

_Audrey was homeschooled from then on._


End file.
